“Why are you disobeying the Sovereign’s words?”
At Malakai’s words, a chill gripped the entire hall. Grinner’s eyes widened so much it was a wonder they remained in their sockets.
It was one thing to go against the words of a Vein, another to go against the words of a Pulse. On both occasions, death was expected, swift and certain.
But to go against the words of the Sovereign… that was treason of the highest order.
Because to go against the Sovereign was to go against the entire Sanguine Clan itself. One would be hunted, broken, tortured, kept alive just enough to endure the worst pain imaginable for as long as possible.
The consequences were that insane.
The Sovereign was directly in charge of the training camp, the one who had declared and personally made its rules.
Which meant, every single word in that rulebook carried his authority. This was why, the moment Malakai’s words dropped, Grinner, a Blood Champion, a warrior whose presence would normally inspire fear anywhere, felt all the strength in his legs abandon him.
His entire body trembled as he swiftly turned toward Julius and bowed deeply. “I apologize, Eighth Vein. But the rules forbid any interruption during class.”
The frown on Julius’ face deepened, but Grinner didn’t so much as wait for a response. He turned immediately toward Instructor Livia and barked,
“Carry on with the class. Immediately.”
Livia nodded sharply. “Y-yes, Head Instructor.” She too was a Blood Champion, but Malakai’s words had shaken her to the core.
Go against the Sovereign? No one could be that stupid.
Straightening, she clapped her hands sharply. “Alright, class! Get back into position and close your eyes!”
The youths obeyed instantly. In the Sanguine Clan, the charge of defying the Sovereign didn’t only extend to instructors. Even the youths were not exempted.
The students who had risen to support Julius earlier all hurriedly sat back down, leaving Julius standing alone, facing only Grinner and Malakai, who still hadn’t acknowledged his existence even once.
“Good,” Malakai said calmly, nodding once at Grinner. “Thank you for showing me to my class. You may leave now.”
Grinner’s heart continued to pound violently inside his chest. He met Malakai’s cold, calm gaze, and his own eyes couldn’t help but tremble.
He had thought Malakai was only a monster in combat. But that assessment had been wrong. His political instincts, his ability to manipulate situations were also monstrous.
In just a few simple sentences, he had completely checkmated Julius and crushed any thought of future objections from anyone else.
‘He’s just like him.’
There wasn’t a single Sanguine alive who didn’t know the name Valerian Von Sanguine, the greatest genius the clan had ever produced.
Whether it was through battle or weaving through the deadly politics of the Sanguine Clan, Valerian had been unmatched. And right now, as Grinner looked at Malakai, he felt as though he was staring at Valerian reborn in miniature.
Grinner bowed toward Malakai without hesitation, turning to excuse himself, only to freeze as Julius’ low murmur reached his ears.
“At least you have some brains… unlike your parents.”
To most, it would have sounded like a mutter.
However, to evolved humans like Malakai, Grinner, and every single person within the hall, Julius might as well have shouted it through a speaker.
And judging by the small smile on Julius’ face, it was clear he had done it fully consciously.
It was a low blow, targeting the dead parents of another.
Many couldn’t help but turn toward Malakai, whose entire body had frozen like ice, wondering what he would do.
Malakai seemed to stare at nothing in particular.
He looked dazed, almost as if grappling with what he had just heard.
Malakai could be seen as someone who had his emotions under control.
He could lash out when he wanted.
He could stay calm if the situation demanded it.
But above all else, there was one scenario that obliterated this control entirely, one that erased all logical thought, erased any meaning of consequence, and instead unleashed him with pure, unfiltered rage.
Which was why, at Julius’ words…
Malakai only saw red.
He turned slowly, his gaze landing on Julius, who stood there with a smile that reeked of superiority.
Malakai took a step forward.
Then… everyone felt it.
A killing intent so potent it pressed against their spines and drenched the entire room in suffocating weight.
The gazes of Grinner and Livia instantly narrowed to slits.
So much killing intent… coming from a child?
How was that possible?
‘Malakai! Control yourself! This is what he wants!’
‘Malakai!’
‘Malakai!’
Valentine’s voice roared in his mind.
But Malakai heard nothing.
He stormed forward, his steps heavy, as though each one carried the weight of a mountain.
Julius flicked his gaze downward toward his own arm, only to see it trembling.
His eyes narrowed sharply, the earlier smile on his face straining into a barely contained frown.
He raised his gaze back up toward Malakai, only to narrow his eyes further.
‘I’m scared?’
He couldn’t believe the thought had crossed his mind.
As Malakai closed the distance between them, the chill gripping his body only intensified, making him shake harder.
‘Impossible!’
He and Malakai might have been age mates, but he was at the Node Formation Stage. There was no way this useless waste of a Vein should be able to frighten him.
Julius circulated his blood quickly, forcing calm into his nerves.
He forced a smirk back onto his face, just as Malakai reached him, stopping barely a foot away.
Malakai’s crimson eyes were opened wide, peering straight through Julius’s gaze.
His voice, when it came, was utterly calm, but the sheer weight behind the words was enough to make the hearts of everyone in the hall tremble.
“I dare you to repeat that.”
A pause followed, before Julius’s expression shifted. It hardened, then turned cold.
Malakai’s words were a direct challenge, one aimed at his entire standing as a Vein. With so many eyes present, word would spread like wildfire through the clan.
Regardless, this had been Julius’s plan from the start. To push Malakai into doing something reckless.
